Pricing Note: these often drop to $139.99 during the every-so-often $10 off $49, $20 off $99, $60 off $199 tiered codes DSW runs.
About the Author: Adam Terry is a thirtysomething salesman in the heating and manufacturing industry. He enjoys bourbon, boots, sneakers, denim, and working on his dad bod father figure.
Anthony Veer shoes is a newer brand that I hadn’t run into prior to Joe ordering this pair from DSW for a review. After digging in and researching a bit, Anthony Veer is a marketing MBA student-turned-CEO who decided to open an “affordable luxury” brand of shoes. Sound familiar? Like many similar brands, Anthony Veer shoes are sold both directly to consumers and through major multinational companies like Amazon, DSW, Macy’s, and Zappos. Their website boasts “Only The Best Quality” and shoes that are “truly built to last for years if not a lifetime”. If you believe a lot of marketing hype from DTC brands, we have some ocean-front property in Arizona for sale. Without further ado, read on to see why these Oxfords might not be worth your money
Classic shape reminiscent of Allen Edmond’s Park Avenue oxfords.
They certainly look like suit worthy dress shoes.
My pair of Clinton cap-toe Oxfords was ordered online via DSW.com on a Thursday morning. They shipped out from a large warehouse in New Jersey later that afternoon via FedEx Home Delivery and were then delivered on Saturday morning. As I’ve said before, I think a lot of retailers have finally caught up with Amazon’s two-day Prime service and I’m thankful for that.
FYI: DSW has an interesting return/exchange policy that’s based on your membership level. For non members and DSW VIP Club members, in-store returns or exchanges are free within 90 days. If you’d like to return them by mail, you’re on the hook for an $8.50 shipping label. For DSW VIP Gold members, you get completely free returns and exchanges regardless of how you prefer to deal with the company. For you lucky DSW VIP Elite members, you also get those completely free returns and exchanges, but now you have a full calendar year to return items.
Score: 4/5 Stars – Easy ordering, quick shipping, but wonky returns policy.
An exceptional unboxing experience, but that’s where the exceptions ended.
This pair of Clinton oxfords arrived in a surprisingly nice package. The outer box looks to be decent, but inside is where all of the magic happens. Once the lid is off, you’re greeted with a small envelope with shoe care facts and company info, a spare set of round, brown dress laces, a set of replacement insole toppers, and shoes that arrived sleeping peacefully in their own privately branded shoe bags. There was also a layer of foam to separate the shoes so that they don’t get any dings or dents in transit. For under $200 USD, this unboxing experience really impressed me and sets my new benchmark at this price point.
Score: 5/5 Stars – Shockingly nice for the price! Extra laces, insoles, and shoe bags!
Fresh out of the box, these Clinton cap-toe Oxfords have a great silhouette that’s somewhat reminiscent of the eternally stylish Park Avenue by Allen Edmonds. On one hand, the Clinton Oxfords could be the less fortunate man’s dress shoe of choice for that last minute wedding, funeral, or social event. On the other hand, we can compare the Clinton Oxford to that Park Avenue benchmark and see the many reasons why the team from Port Washington, Wisconsin has earned (and retained) the title for Best Sub-$400 Oxford (that’s Made in the USA).
Thinner cowhide that seems prone to wrinkling and has a distinct “barnyard” smell. But the stitching is neatly done!
Starting up top, the Anthony Veer Oxfords are made from a low to medium tier cowhide. It’s not a terrible hide, but you can certainly tell that it’s thinner and more prone to minor wrinkles than your typical French or European hide used by brands like Allen Edmonds, Alden, Grant Stone, etc. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the creasing behavior of this pair as they’ll be sent back, but I can say with some certainty that I’ve experienced this type of leather before on a pair of budget cap-toe Oxfords from Johnston and Murphy many moons ago. They did not age well – the creasing wasn’t pleasant and the dye started to deeply fade after six months of wear. Oddly enough, this upper leather smells faintly like a petting zoo! Unlike that rich leather smell you get from a cobbler’s shop or a high end leather jacket, these smell like a dyed barnyard and it’s wild. It’s not necessarily a bad smell, but it’s not something I associate with high quality leather goods. To each their own, though, so don’t let this dissuade you if you like it.
Multiple blemishes noticeable to the naked eye.
Speaking of dye, both of these Oxfords have signs of poor finishing or quality control. The left shoe has a small section at the toe and another near the left edge where the dye is missing. The right shoe has a small mark near the heel and another large one near the cap toe with dye missing. These are noticeable with the naked eye and the largest is noticeable from above. I doubt this damage happened in transit, as both shoes were securely wrapped in shoe bags.
Moving on, we can see that the stitching is neatly done throughout with no noticeable errors or missteps. The cap toes look to be even and straight across the toe cap – this is one of my biggest pet peeves when it’s messed up, and a failure here is something that warrants an immediate return for me, regardless of brand or price tag. The five eyelets are cleanly punched and the non-waxed cotton laces are decent enough for daily wear for a while. Around back, each shoe is neatly finished at the heel with no noticeable puckering or bulges around the stitching lines. The flat 360° welt is clean and although the stitches per inch is low, it’s well done and dyed correctly.
At this price point you’d expect better materials and construction for the insole/footbed.
Peering inside, you’ll notice the branded leather-topped Ortholite insole and full leather lining. On initial review, this looks to be a decent insole/footbed and a lot of similar brands have shifted to an insole/footbed like this for various reasons. These looked like removable insoles (seeing as how they sent an extra pair of footbed toppers in the box), so I started to pull them out. That’s when I discovered the true extent of cost cutting being done by the brand. Underneath the leather topper is a thin layer of open cell Ortholite foam. That layer is glued down to another super thin layer of hard pressed foam and fiberboard for stability. The heel cushioning is literally made from a thick piece of cardstock paper, commonly used in cheap shoes. For this ~$200 price point, you can and should be getting better materials!
Finally, the outsole looks to be solid leather with an open channel Goodyear welt stitch. The heel is a combination leather and rubber unit with five exposed heel nails into the leather. I can’t tell if the heel stack is real leather or pressed fiber, but it appears to be solid here.
Score: 2/5 Stars – Looks good, but actual quality is low. Poor materials for the price.
Heel stack appears to be solid, but after discovering other shortcuts, who knows if it’s leather or pressed fiber.
In terms of fit and sizing, I recommend trying a half-size up from your true-to-size Brannock measurement. I tried this pair in my go-to 10.5 US and, while wearing my usual thin Darn Tough “everyday” socks, they were way too small. I couldn’t even get them laced up all the way. You’ll need to size up at least a half-size. If you normally take a wider width or have taller arches, you may be out of luck with this particular model. They just don’t fit me very well.
Solid leather outsole with an open channel Goodyear welt stitch.
Comfort is always subjective, but they seem OK at best out of the box. The lining leather is nice enough and the insole/footbed seems adequate, but I don’t foresee these being too comfortable if you’re on your feet all day and need to wear dress shoes. You’ll want something with a cork footbed or something that can mold to and support your feet over time.
For size reference, I am a 10.5 D/E on a Brannock device and usually take a 10 D in most roomy dress shoes, including Alden’s Barrie last and Grant Stone’s Leo last. I take a 10.5 E in Allen Edmonds 65 last, as that last runs too narrow for me. I also take a 10.5 in Converse/Vans and an 11 in most Adidas/Nike/Jordan/Yeezy sneakers. Have a size question? Email us!
Score: 3/5 Stars – These run small, so size up. Comfort is OK at best..
I hate to use this phrase, but these Anthony Veer Oxfords are akin to putting lipstick on a pig. The packaging was awesome but that’s where the fun stopped. These may get a passing grade on paper, but the leather smells faintly of a barnyard, the upper leather dye is rubbing off before wearing, the insoles are glued down to cardstock internals, and I’m sitting here wondering what other corners were cut where I can’t see. I really had high hopes for these, but honestly, you’re better off investing the same amount of cash for Grant Stone or Allen Edmonds seconds with minor QC issues. If you’re working with a very tight clothing budget, I’d recommend shopping at Nordstrom for their in-house menswear line first, as the quality is known to be better, even if they’re glued construction. The Anthony Veer leather and internals will probably/maybe/who knows not survive long enough to enjoy a resole anyways.
The only reason I could see purchasing these Clinton Oxfords is if you’re in a pinch and need a neat pair of Oxfords for a wedding, funeral, or social event ASAP and don’t plan on wearing them often. In that specific use case, these will be fine for a few times a year. As always, try to get a better deal or discount, because you can do much better at Nordstrom for less money.
Avg. Score: 3.5/5 – No. The shoes look great from afar, but too many corners were cut.
Looks like these shoes are better viewed from afar, and kept on the retail shelf.
15% off select Ray-Bans with free shipping & free returns at Nordstrom.
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